More Than Unfriended....Death of a Facebook Friend
We had such a great holiday weekend that I was too busy playing outdoors to go online until Monday morning. When I checked Facebook, I was stunned to learn of the death of a high school classmate. Another classmate and mutual Facebook friend announced that Jeff had died over the weekend. It was beyond unthinkable. We had a reunion last summer - nothing formal, just a gathering at a local bar. It was so great to reconnect with old classmates, even if most of them were people I didn't know well in school. Familiar, friendly faces. I knew Jeff in grade school, and when I saw him at the reunion and met his wife, I thought, "how can I get to know these interesting people better?" You always think you'll have more time. Having read the announcement, I went to his Facebook page, which his wife had posted to, letting his friends know what had happened. And then I began to see an interesting phenomenon unfold - the online memorial, Facebook style. I know from experien...